A "Wii" Bit of Family Fun!

I'll be 65 in a couple of weeks. Even got my official Medicare card in the mail yesterday. I decided to treat myself on this momentous birthday with a Wii Fit . The boys got a Wii for Christmas, and it's a fun deal. I had no idea how MUCH fun until Tuesday evening!

The Wii Fit arrived and I set it up just to explore and see what it was all about before dinner. Seems the first thing required was to have each Mii (just what it sounds like..a mini-me avatar. That's us in the photo!) we had created go through a body test that stores info like our BMI (body mass index), weight, COB (center of balance), strength, etc. and let us know what our "fitness age" is as we begin with our training.

Well, after each of us did said requirements we had lots of laughs at the fact that we were ALL 50-something in fitness age. Fossil that I am, I had the best fitness age based on my stats. NOT that it was saying that much! My fitness age is "55".

After all the info is stored and we're lectured we get to pick a trainer (male or female) and begin training. The training categories are strength, balance, aerobics, and Yoga. And so we began.....

NOT as easy as it looks, folks!! Fun, but work , and just not as simple as I expected!

We had a blast! For a couple of hours we did things like run, walk a tightrope, hula hoop, snow ski and jump. We did step dancing. We unlocked new moves and new games! I can't remember the last time we had this much fun as a family. We laughed, bragged, moaned and groaned as well as heard the occasional cries of "NOT fair!" or "he's being mean to me!" or, even, "He called me a loser!" Man, oh man, the competitive nature bubbles up, big time!

People, this is the fun way to exercise as well as share some family fun! With interests as diverse as the crew around here, Wii Fit is a real rally-round togetherness activity.

And...

It's also fun when you're home alone.

I had the house to myself today and I ended up spending nearly two hours doing Wii Fit. Hey, I burned calories and unlocked a number of new exercise games! Even unlocked a boxing game that's a blast!! And, to top it off, my body test before logging off the game showed I'd lost a pound since Tues!!

Wii Fit rocks!

Life's Funny Like That Finito Fiesta!!

Here's tossin' the confetti and whackin' the Chemo Pinata as Debby rolls out of the last chemo!!!!!!

The Margarita machine is cranked and ready to churn out some celebratory umbrella drinks!!

It's been a long and challenging journey, but the end is in sight! I'm toasting you my dear new friend as you take this final step into the rest of your life!

Congratulations and blessings, my dear Debby!!!

My prayers are with you!

The Great Escape!

Connor ran away from school yesterday.

Yep, he ran away and made it almost to the garage door before a couple of the teachers caught up to him in a car. Other teachers had fanned out over the various routes he might have taken to get home.

It's TAKS testing prep time at the schools around here...courtesy of Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy. As if these dreaded standardized tests, beginning in the 3rd grade, and, basically "taught to" the entire year, are true measures of a child's knowledge. Anyway, the pressure is really on, and every kid is a little bundle of anticipatory anxiety.

Connor, who has, for the most part, been in a really sweet spot as far as stability goes for the past year, has been getting rocky on the school front. Getting frustrated, upset and having meltdowns has been a stable the past week or so. Yesterday it all came to a head.

He had a meltdown and went to the "think tank" to calm down. When the teacher in his contained classroom turned her back to address another student, Connor slipped out of the room, headed out the door, across the playground and headed for home.

I'm not really sure how everything transpired at that point. I was teaching at a school several blocks from home. Connor's school, as policy dictates, called Trish, called the police and various staff were dispatched to look for him in, around the school and beyond.

All Trish knew when they called her at work was that he was missing. She panicked, headed home trying desperately to think of the name of the school where I was subbing. By the time she remembered the situation was resolved. I got the call well after the fact.

She arrived home to Connor, 4 policemen and a bevy of school staff members. It was sheer chaos. Connor was made to go back to school to finish out the day. His teacher was still shaken when I talked to her some hours later after I got home.

Needless to say, when Trish called me at school I nearly buckled at the knees thinking about all the "what ifs"!! With Connor's HFA tendencies in addition to his other issues, he isn't attentive to basics like crossing the street properly or not wandering off in stores, etc. I had no clue he could even find his way home. I was wrong.

None of us had any inkling that Connor would ever even think of doing something this drastic and frightening! It took everyone, school staff included, by surprise. Even his physician was surprised when I talked to him later in the day. Unfortunately for all concerned Connor has enough PDD issues to be more concerned about how all this affected him and his privileges than the seriousness of the incident. He has been told that if he ever pulls another unsafe stunt like this he will lose the privileges that mean the most to him: His video games.

He had some silly idea in his head that he was going to just stay home, play video games and wait for me to get home from school. He wasn't planning on going back. He said he hated everyone there and was not going back to school...ever. He did.

We have to think about ways to reinforce the dangers of this kind of action with him. I seriously doubt it will ever be an issue at his elementary school again this year. However, we all worry about him pulling this kind of stunt in middle school next year.

I think we've been lulled a bit into slacking off our guard with Connor due to this sweet period of stability he's been in for awhile. It followed a really rocky period with the hospitalization where the possible molestation issue arose. This, my friends, came out of the blue!

I must say that I still won't go to the "what ifs" in my head. I don't want to think about the things that could have happened to him on the way home. It scares me that he just took off, no thinking about consequences. This is new and it's scary. He has the judgement of a child much younger. He's too trusting and too unaware of things around him. He's vulnerable in so many ways.

We all survived the great escape. The adults will be more vigilant and there will be more emphasis on the consequences of such actions.

While we will be on our toes with Connor, we are also dealing with the increasing anxiety in Sam that has spilled over into the classroom and every other area of his life. In the last few months his issues have risen to the top of the heap and things are boiling over...

It's like we're in the eye of the storm. We've moved out of Connor's turbulence, taken a couple of breaths, and now we're headed into the building Sam Storm. What's the name of my blog again? Oh, yeah..."Thriving in the Chaos".... I need to concentrate on the "thriving" part....

Behind His Eyes

My sister alerted me to a fellow blog friend's entry this week that touched on the roller coaster life of a family with a bipolar child. This journey we are on is fraught with frustration, heartbreak, challenges that often seem insurmountable. There are also many joys and milestones along the way. Our Connor just had his first real triumph, recently. I shared his spelling bee success with my friends and family on here.

I thought I would share, once more, the poem I wrote for and about Connor several years ago. I think it touches a chord in any family member who lives with a child or adult who has bipolar disorder.

(For Connor)

Behind his eyes,
blue as the sky on a summer day
turmoil churns like
a wall cloud before the
tornado drops.
To decipher the emotional landscape
is to probe the depths of uncharted territory.

I’m no cartographer.

I tread gently, blindly.
I fumble as I try to read the Braille of his psyche;
but, I can’t see past the shadows.
His highs and lows rise and dip
like an unstable weather pattern
where sunshine belies the coming storm.
A bright smile and clear eyes can spin off
into ominous gales.

I reach for the shards of light. Perhaps
a clue, perhaps…
Too quickly the shadows appear, again.
Just when I think I can forecast the triggers,
pinpoint the offending cloud, the light shifts
and I’m caught blinking helplessly in the clarity
of my ignorance.

~~~ Pam Patterson © 2006

One Small Triumph

Our Connor hasn't had many large or small triumphs or ego-boosts in his 11 years. His elementary school years have been marked by sadness, frustration, struggle and social isolation. He has no peers, no friends, no invites, no academic or sports-related achievements.

It is said that, for children, the school years are a time for social interaction, forming friendships and for, hopefully, educational achievements. This is what the average child gets out of this growing-up venue.

Now in the fifth grade, Connor has had none of this incentive to like or even desire to attend school. It's often been a battle just to get him and keep him there. Last year, with the implementation of the new pilot program he's been a part of, things have slowly improved. This year has been marked with fewer behavior issues, increased learning and more time spent out of the contained classroom and more time in the general education setting before frustration sets in.

This week his school had the 4th and 5th grade spelling bee eliminations, the initial steps toward the national spelling bee. Thursday was my only day this week to not be subbing. Trish had the day off from work. About 9:30 we got a call from Connor's special ed. teacher saying that, much to her surprise, Connor wanted to participate in the 5th grade spelling bee to be held about 10:30. She said he knew we were home and wanted us to come see him.

It seems he had suddenly wanted to tryout in the 4th grade bee. She let him, he missed his word and had a tearful meltdown. After talking about how proud she was that he had even wanted to be a part of the spelling bee, and tips on how he should stop and think before trying to spell the word, he announced he intended to be a part of the one for his own grade.

His mom and I were delighted, not to mention shocked, that he would even attempt this leap outside his comfort zone. We sat proudly and watched him compete with 40+ of his fellow 5th graders. When he spelled his first word correctly, with great poise, we were thrilled! And so it went for another hour.

Connor was one of eight kids in the final elimination! !

When he did finally miss his word he handled it like a pro! By then, however, his feet weren't even touching the ground!! His mom was grinning ear to ear and I was in tears! His special education teachers past and present drifted in and out as they could and were grinning and squeezing our arms. When the bee was over the teachers and Connor's classmates clapped and cheered for him. There were high fives and fist bumps as Connor danced around with a smile that lit up the room!

This might not seem like much to others, but it was HUGE to us and to Connor. This was the first academic or any other real ego-boosting triumph of his entire life. And, it was his and his alone. It had nothing to do with Mama, or Pammy or anyone else. He took a risk, reached for something he wasn't sure he could excel at, something he had been defeated in only an hour before. He tried again and he soared.

Yes, he truly did soar! This was a shot of self-confidence that he can own, one that will carry him for some time to come!

Go Connor!!

A Wii Christmas

It was a Wii Christmas and it was a fantastic Christmas! Living with boys whose moods are perpetual roller coasters one can never predict how any day will go, much less an emotionally packed day such as Christmas. There have been good Christmas' and not so good Christmas'.

This was a GREAT Christmas! Start to finish!

Sam divided his time between the Wii and his new bike and assorted other toys.

Connor, on the other hand, played on the Wii until he, basically, collapsed on the couch. Then he was up again until he suddenly announced he had to go to bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow!

Tomorrow my 15-year-old grandson flies in from San Antonio to spend the rest of the holidays with us. He got his learner's permit this summer. He plans to drive us home from the airport.... Prayers welcome!

Santa's Homeboys

HO HO HO...Christmas is a go at our house! The spirit of the season is alive and livelier since winter break kicked into gear after an early-release day in the local elementary schools.

Last night I was unexpectedly treated to an evening of peace and quiet as the boys were treated to a night on the town with two young teachers that I work with (posing as angels) who kidnapped the boys to give me a break and them some fun! Talk about great friends!!

They went to see "The Tale of Despereaux" , then capped the evening's fun with a trip to a local mall. Brave girls, these friends of mine! But then, they are fantastic special education teachers. Fantastic and fearless!

The above photo of Santa and his homeboys was a gift to Trish and me. Loved it! Loved my time to piddle and putter around the house alone for the evening. The boys loved my friends and their night on the town. They behaved, followed directions and a good time was had by all.

Tonight was our annual viewing of Christmas lights. We grab some fast food and toured the neighborhoods known for spectacular lights and decorations. A friend that I work with has a house that is famous for its amazing light display set to music. Her husband is a musician, a very talented musician, I might add! He works on the display off and on year round. There are some 81,000 lights. It is truly something to behold! People stop and they serve hot chocolate. They also collect donations for soldiers and their families. My friend was featured on Good Morning Texas last week.

We stopped, visited with some of my friends, drank hot chocolate, then moved on to other displays and other neighborhoods. This was the first year that the boys held it together ( for the most part) the entire time. Usually, there's a meltdown by someone at some point with an abrupt and ugly end to what started out with good cheer and high spirits. After a couple of hours the back seat was becoming a battle ground of feet in a brother's seat and other personal space violations. We decided not to press our luck and end this year on a high note.

I plan to enjoy my several weeks of no alarm clock. My oldest grandson flies up from San Antonio for a week on the 26th. He got his learner's permit this summer. I've promised to let him drive home from the airport. This will be a new experience. I can't believe he's old enough (15) to drive! Time really flies. Seems it was only yesterday that I was driving to Temple ( half-way between San Antonio and Dallas ) to pick him up and bring him back --in his car seat--to stay for a few weeks.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends and family! It would be perfect if only the rest of the country would SHARE some of its SNOW with me!!!!